A federal judge on Monday spared former Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph D. Emerson from prison time, saying the swift loss of his career for nearly cutting off a plane’s engines while flying off-duty was sufficient punishment despite his “shockingly bad decisions.”

U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio sentenced Emerson, 46, to time served for interfering with a flight crew.

Emerson looked as if he was fighting to hold back tears when the judge announced her verdict after more than two hours of testimony during his sentencing hearing that drew more than two rows of supporters to the packed courtroom.

Emerson was experiencing a drug-induced psychosis from ingesting hallucinogenic mushrooms two days earlier when he boarded the Oct. 22, 2023, Horizon Air flight in Everett, Wash., bound for San

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